Assault Pioneer Sergeant, 1st Bn Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

[leigh kitchen]

Some years ago I was wandering around London - Oxford Street, somewhere like that, when I saw this postcard in a window - it was part of a set of photo cards of members of 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, & shows a great mate of mine who was at the time the photo was taken (abut 1980 - 82, when the battalion was based at Howard Barracks, Kent) the battalion's Assault Pioneer Sergeant.

He's wearing the fusilier busby with the regimental hackle / plume to the right (inherited from the old Royal Northumberland Fusiliers who wore it on the left), a gilt & white metal fur cap grenade presumably, though it's not obvious if it's the narrow flamed version worn by Drummers or the wide flamed version known within the battalion as the "Drum Major's Badge" but I think more properly the officer's fur cap grenade.

Up until about that time Drummers had worn an all brass diestruck version, with a cast yellow metal version (with a definite copper hue) the PRI had made in Pakistan arriving at RHQ at the Tower of London during December 1979 or January 1980.

The red & white roses indicate that the photo was taken on St George's Day, April 22nd, when the Fusiler's headgear drums & colours are bedecked with roses & the yougest Drummer carries the third colour - the Wilhelmstaal Colour as the battalion "Troops The Colours"

These roses are presumably cloth ones & superior in appearance to those still in use a couple of years before.

Campaign Service Medal with clasp "Northern Ireland" (it's definitely the "N.I." clasp as he & I earned our C.S.M. N.I.'s together as young Fusiliers in the same section - well I was young at 18, he was "Grandad" as he was an ancient 25), & "The Mark of The Beast" are worn, swing mounted & on seperate brooch fittings, as they were issued.

Unusually this man missed out on the UNFICYP Medal, units used to & perhaps still do, swap their personnel around part way through tours of Cyprus if their doing half a battalion at Sovereign Base Area, the other half with UN, so that everybody gets the UNFICYP Medal - for some reason he spent his tour on the SBA & did'nt serve with the UN.

White nylon woven belt by the look of it (it was only a few years before that the battalion was wearing the old white blancoe'd buff leather belts with the Royal Crest brass locket for Public Duties & the like), with brass sliders off an old '37 Pattern web belt & the brass belt plate with anodized badge (unless the badge had been changed to metal by now) off the private purchase rose & primrose coloured stable belt (inherited from the old Lancashire Fusiliers).

Buttons are gold anodised, and are those inherited from the old Royal Warwickshire Fusilers, featuring the antelope which was displayed on a captured Moorish flag (the Regimental Mascot is a black buck).

Bullion sergeants stripes.

No sign of the regimental Royal Blue facings, inherited from the old Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).

Is he wearing white gauntlets, is a fur cap grenade worn on a turnback of the white apron, & what I'm really getting to at last - what is that tunic he's wearing - an officers one?

(The photograph was taken on St George's Day 1980, at How Barracks, Kent - it's card no. 1 of a set of 8 published by Pompadour Publishing, copyright was to the late Brian L Davis).

Edited June 4, 2009 by leigh kitchen
Date postcard published

[tynesideirish]

A few things. Geordies day April 23rd. But I know that was a typo mistake.

1980-82 The 1st Bn was at Queen Elizabeth Bks MINDEN. and had been for 7 years less a UNICYP and NI tour and even then not including everyone. I'm not disputing the fact you knew him but the date or Bn must be wrong.

An Officers / WO1 jacket. No explaination why the Pioneer Sgt is wearing it, though. Never seen it before.

[leigh kitchen]

I said, "about" 1980 - 82" but now you mention it it must have been later.

The battalion went, I think, to Minden in 1979 - 80, they certainly had'nt spent the preceeding 7 years there.

Following Gibralter, the bn served an 18 month tour of Derry 73 - 75, then arrived at Oakington Bks, Cambridgeshire around May 75.

Whilst based there they had a 4 month tour in West Belfast early 76 & a couple of months in Kenya late 76, a Spearhead spread across NI in 77, & a tour in Cyprus (ESBA & UN) in 78. Part of the bn did a Spearhead in Bermuda in 1975.

He was 1st Bn, I met up with him while he was Assault Pioneer Sgt based at Howard Bks. Maybe around 86?

I can only think that the bn was glamming up it's pioneers a bit as some other regiments did, hence the "strange" tunic.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hmmm... the Foreign Legion Pioniers have an apron just like that and carry their axe just like that.

Seems to be a pionier tradition thing.

[tynesideirish]

I said, "about" 1980 - 82" but now you mention it it must have been later.

The battalion went, I think, to Minden in 1979 - 80, they certainly had'nt spent the preceeding 7 years there.

It's all imaterial really isn't it? I joined Z Coy in Minden in 1982 and they'd already been there for years.

However it couldn't have been later unless your talking 92 onwards, 1RRF went from Minden in 1984-86 to Ballykelly and in 1986-88 went to WSBA Episkopi then 1988-91 to Howe Bks Canterbury with 5 Abn Brigade.

Another Bn?

[leigh kitchen]

1st Bn returned to Oakington Bks from Cyprus at the end of 78, & went to Minden in 79. If they were at Howe Barracks 1988 - 91, then that's wehen we met up.

A full length shot of the Pioneer Sgt showing apron & grenade on turnback would be interesting. The battalion must have got around to smartening up the pioneers Of the RRF component regiments the old Lancashire Fusiliers were noted for their presentation of pioneers on parade. Of the army in general the Royal Welch Fusiliers were the unit which really went to town on the ceremonial with pioneers etc, certainly by the 90's.

A good description of combining tradition, practicality & economy in choosing modern ceremonial uniform was given by Lt Col Mercer of 1 WFR in a magazine article (I think "Military Modelling") some years ago.

When was the Northumbrian Piper reinstated? RNF had one to each company, but there's now just the CO's Piper?

[Graham Stewart]

How Simkins saw the Pioneers of the 5th Foot in 1812. The current uniform doesn't bare an resemblance to that worn at the turn of the century or possibly even before the formation of the RRF. They certainly don't seem to have dressed as senior warrant officers with the inclusion of gold lace to their tunics and Standing Orders for the Northumberland makes no mention of any specail dress for the Pioneer Sgt.

Graham.

[Graham Stewart]

Nice photo of the 1st Bn, Northumberland Fusiliers c.1883 being led by the "four Pioneers" who are wearing scarlet frock coats with white facings to the cuff and collar. Axes are borne on the right shoulder, but no aprons are worn and leather equipment would be of the Slade/Wallace pattern.

Graham.

[Graham Stewart]

Another lovely Simkins print of 1890, showing a Pioneer wearing beard, gauntlets and apron, held back at one corner with a fur cap grenade that has a scarlet cloth backing. Note the crossed axes in white worsted above which there is also a white worsted grenade.

Graham.

[tynesideirish]

This is Sgt Billy T 1RRF and his pioneers at Happy Valley Episkopi St.Georges Day 1987.

[tynesideirish]

[tynesideirish]

Sorry I couldn't get the old snap any clearer!

[Graham Stewart]

T.I.

Nice photo's, a pity the technology wasn't around for digital zooming which would have really helped. The grenade in the apron is interesting as it's the huge pattern bimetal grenade, which was always disputed as being worn in the fur cap, when infact there is photographic evidence of it being worn in the fur cap. Obviously being 1RRF they appear to have a scarlet cloth backing to the grenade on the apron, whereas mine has a black backing to it. Can you recall if the pioneers in the other battalions wore different coloured backing to the grenade on the apron?

Graham.